I say once it's published, it's public domain. Copyright enforcement is just another example of government protectionism for incumbents, just like when taxi companies are able to get Uber and Lyft chased out of their territory.

It's so sad to see these tech companies just cave in to the demands of the legacy entertainment industry. The Internet is our future and should be given the nod rather than the tired, old industries that can't see that their time was up long ago.

The problem is the entertainment industry has millions of dollars and an army of lawyers at its disposal. Meanwhile, the tech industry has grown, but still lacks the clout the entertainment industry has. This is why governments and courts fall all over themselves to appease the entertainment industry, generally at the expense of the tech industry.

What's needed is for the Internet to have a lobbying group of its own to represent its interests in government. I despise lobbyists and special interests, but let's face it: that's how our government works. If you want to be listened to, you have to either be rich or be part of a large lobbying group.

It's time to form a lobbying group for the Internet that's big enough to take on the RIAA/MPAA head-on and have a decent chance at beating them at their own game.

I'm so glad I was a kid in the 80s before all BS hit the proverbial fan. We played dodge ball, kick ball, tag, etc. I wasn't particularly good at any of these games, but I still enjoyed them. We used a merry-go-round in kindergarten and it was great fun to try to jump on it while it was turning at breakneck speed. We had tall slides, see-saws and swingsets that seemed like they would catapult you into the air. We climbed on monkey bars that seemed as tall as Mt. Everest to our innocent eyes. Did injuries occur? Yes. I distinctly remember a girl falling and being hurt badly enough that an ambulance had to be summoned. But seeing that taught me that we were not invulnerable and I played carefully. If we were to have been shielded as today's children are, would we have learned those limits? Perhaps with time, or perhaps, like some of today's children, we would have to take incredible risks just to taste blood or feel pain.

School officials are trained to think with a "worst first" mentality, meaning they see threats where other people see humor. Air travelers will recognize this in the TSA, as they also are trained to think "worst first".

We have the TSA at our airports, bus terminals, train stations and NFL stadiums, the NSA on our phones, tablets and computers and Obamacare in our hospitals and health clinics. Garbage like this is simply "training" for what lies ahead. God help us as a nation.

The police are being militarized in terms of equipment, clothing and weaponry and now even their attitude toward the citizens they are supposed to serve. They seem to view us the way US soldiers viewed the citizens of Baghdad when the US invaded Iraq ten years ago. How long before they are driving tanks through our neighborhoods?